The Rising of a New Sun
by ShipperForLife11
Summary: Everything's fine and dandy after Zuko's coronation...  But what if Azula were to escape from an asylum and create havoc on everything Zuko holds dear?  Read to find out!  Post-series, slight Maiko & Kataang, but mostly Zutara!
1. Chapter 1

Zuko struggled to put on his robe. 'Ugh,' he thought to himself. He wished to himself that Azula wasn't quite so vicious. Why was it that every time he conversed with her, he almost always ended up getting up hurt in one way or another? Now she had scarred him in two ways, but she didn't know that. Obviously, he was physically hurt, but he was now emotionally scarred as well. He would always be wondering what if… But that was impossible. She obviously wanted to be with the avatar. Not that Zuko could really blame her; Aang did save the world after all. He still wished and hoped with all his heart that Katara would choose him instead of Aang, but that was really unlikely considering the circumstances. Zuko had a lot of work to do- many peace negotiations, rebuilding of towns, and other tedious work. Then there was always Mai.

Zuko did love Mai, but it was more of a sisterly love than true love. Sometimes Zuko thought that Mai just sort of stayed around for the perks of him being a fire prince. But when he and Sokka went to Boiling rock, she let them escape. She obviously cared for him more than she had feared Azula, and that was saying something. Zuko didn't know what to do. He wanted to be with Katara, but she was with Aang, and Mai wanted to be with him, but he didn't really want to be with her. It was going to be a long year. He then thought back to the past few months he'd spent with his friends.

"Friends," he murmured to himself. He'd never really had any true friends before. But he'd never had a family before either. Team Avatar was his family and his best friends. He had to remember to keep in touch with them as he fulfilled all of his fire nation duties.

He suddenly remembered that he had a coronation to get to and tried to pull on his robe again and winced. He heard a shuffling of feet behind him, and was about to fire bend at whoever it was, and then remembered the consequences of what happened last time he had jumped to conclusions and fire bended rashly. He shuddered. He still had bruises from when Toph chucked a bunch of pebbles at him. He probably deserved it considering that he burned her feet, but it still hurt.

He turned around to see who was at the door. It was Mai! He was really glad he hadn't fire bended now.

"You need some help with that?" she asked.

"Mai!" he said excitedly. He wanted to run to her and give her a big bear hug, but he knew he couldn't do that because of his injuries, and also he didn't think that Mai liked it all that much when she and Zuko made physical contact.

"You're okay!" He exclaimed. "They let you out of prison?" he continues reaching to hug her. She pulled away to help him put on his robe. Typical Mai.

"My uncle pulled some strings," she said. "And it doesn't hurt that the new fire lord is your boyfriend," she said as she tied up his robe. She put her hand on his chest. Zuko wanted to cringe at the coldness of her skin, but decided not to, knowing it would hurt Mai's feelings. Plus, he wasn't really sure what he wanted to do quite yet.

"So does this mean you don't hate me anymore?" Zuko asked anxiously. She blushed. 'This really isn't going to work out…' Zuko thought to himself.

Mai continued, "I think it means I actually kind of like you." She reached for his cheek and leaned up to kiss him. Zuko wasn't going to get away with this one, so he went along with it and just tried to enjoy it. However, that didn't stop him from getting away from the awkward moment as quickly as he could manage without seeming completely disinterested. He smiled at her.

Suddenly she said, "But don't ever break up with me again." She poked his chest simultaneously while she said this. He kept his eyes on her finger the entire time hoping one of her knives wouldn't come flying at his chest.

He smiled with the best apology he could come up with written in his face, and Mai just smiled. They then pulled together for a hug. 'This is how it should be,' thought Zuko. 'I think of her as my sister! I really shouldn't be leading her on like this,' Zuko's train of thought continued. 'I can't break up with her though; it would hurt her too much. I need a plan…'


	2. Chapter 2

Zuko wasn't ready to become fire lord. He didn't want to end up like his treacherous, evil father. He really hoped that he would be a great fire lord that did what was best for his people. He also hoped even more desperately that he'd be a better father. His father had been the worst father in the history of fathers. That led him back to thinking about what his family would be like. For the past few months, he couldn't picture anyone but Katara as his fire lady. But of course, Katara was taken. Why couldn't he just go up to her and tell her he loved her? Zuko walked down the fire palace's long hallway to where he was about to become fire lord. He saw Aang meditating. Aang heard him approaching and opened his huge grey eyes. He would honestly never see what Katara ever saw in him. However, he loved Aang as though he was his brother, and he wanted to let him know that he cared.

He felt the need to say something, so he said, "I can't believe a year ago my purpose in life was hunting you down. And now…"

"And now we're friends," Aang finished. Aang looked up into Zuko's eyes earnestly, and any mean feelings he had felt toward Aang vanished. 'He's just so innocent,' Zuko thought.

"Yeah," Zuko said lamely, "we are friends." He thought back to all the times he had tried to capture Aang. He was just a child then. He had matured so much over the past year it didn't seem that Aang was the same person anymore. 'He's a full fledged monk for goodness sake,' thought Zuko. 'Wait, if Aang's a monk now, wouldn't he have had to have taken an oath or something? Monks couldn't marry after all…' Zuko thought hopefully. He would have to ask Aang about that later…

"I can't believe a year ago I was still frozen in a block of ice," Aang said. Zuko looked at him intently. Aang continued by saying, "The world's so different now." The monk looked sad at this. He'd been through a lot of pain and loss too. He'd lost his people, his friends, and also his family, but he'd never actually really known them all too well. Zuko just wanted to comfort the 12 year old.

"And it's going to be even more different," Zuko stated as he placed a hand on Aang's shoulder. "We'll rebuild it together," Zuko said. The look in Aang's eyes was so happy, and Zuko wouldn't have traded that moment for anything in the world. They reached for each other as they leaned into a soft embrace.

Then, they walked out onto the pavilion where Zuko was to be crowned. Zuko heard one of the fire sages ring a gong and then heard erupting cheers echoing through the crowd. He was touched at this, but he held up a hand and said, "Please," in the loudest voice he could conjure. "The real hero is the avatar," Zuko continued. He gestured toward Aang and Aang stepped out. A new set of cheers erupted, and he looked onto his people, along with the soldiers who fought so bravely, and everyone else who were there. He saw Katara for a hundredth of a second, and saw her looking to Aang with a loving look. Zuko couldn't say he was happy about this, but then again, Katara didn't actually know about his feelings for her.

Even as these thoughts rushed through Zuko's head, he continued on. "Today, this war is finally over." Zuko felt the roar of the audience this time because it was so loud. "I promised my uncle I would restore the honor of the fire nation, and I will. The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided. But with the avatar's help, we can get back on the right path, and begin a new era of love and peace." He looked at Aang as he said those last couple of sentences. Aang's eyes gave him a silent thank you.

A fire sage stepped forward and that was Zuko's queue to kneel. He knelt down and felt the fire sage place the emblem of the fire nation on his top knot as the sage said, "All hail fire lord Zuko!"


	3. Chapter 3

Zuko motioned for Aang to step forward along with him. They looked onto the crowd and then smiled at each other. They were both so happy about how everything turned out. Even though there some casualties from the war on both sides, the world was at peace—at least, there was peace for now.

Zuko turned around and walked toward the meeting room in the fire lord's palace. He had earlier arranged for all of the generals and delegates from all of the nations to come and sign a peace treaty. Even though he was pretty sure most, if not all, of the people who were coming to the meeting wanted peace, he had a bad feeling that there would be some people who would object. Zuko hoped that the meeting would go well and it wouldn't last more than a couple of hours.

He heard light footsteps behind him. Obviously, it was Aang—no one else had such light footsteps. Zuko turned around to face him. "Hey Aang," he said.

"Hi Zuko," Aang said quietly. He looked very tired. He wasn't the same comical kid that he once was. Of course, battling Ozai would do that to someone. 'Agni knows what Ozai did to _me_,' Zuko thought sourly. He really wanted to get revenge on the man that had ruined his life, but he knew he couldn't do that because it would make Aang upset.

"Something on your mind?" Zuko asked.

"Yeah," Aang answered. It's just been so rough lately with everything that's been going on. Now that the war is finally over, I don't know where to go. Obviously, we probably won't ever see each other again," Aang said with tears in his eyes.

"You really think that I would allow that to happen?" Zuko demanded. "After living with you guys we're practically family. I would never let us fall apart," Zuko stated confidently.

Aang smiled. "Well, that's nice to know. But, we should probably be getting to the peace meeting," Aang said.

"Oh yeah," Zuko said, "Monkey feathers! If we don't hurry we'll be late! First impressions are important for everybody!" Zuko stated. Aang smirked. Zuko went on, "And that includes the Avatar!" he said as a smile was creeping up his face.

And with that they sped down the hallway as fast as their feet could take them.


	4. Chapter 4

Zuko and Aang had barely caught their breaths before walking into the peace meeting, but they quickly composed themselves. All of the gaang was there (obviously) along with other war generals and nobles from all four nations.

Even though Zuko was the fire lord, he felt the need to bow for all these brave, kind-hearted people. He caught his uncle's eye as he began to reposition himself to a standing position. That look from his uncle gave him the confidence he needed to get this meeting started.

"Good afternoon everybody," Zuko started. "I wanted to start out by thanking you all for coming out here today. I'm sure you all probably want to be doing other things than this right now, and I hope that it won't take too long.

He and Aang then took their places around the table. "First things first, is everyone here?" Zuko asked.

Katara raised her hand and said, "Uh, fire lord Zuko, Sokka's not here yet," she said sheepishly.

"Katara, there's no need for the titles—I'm still Zuko. I've never really been into the titles anyway," Zuko said. There were a couple of people who laughed. "Do you know where Sokka is Katara? Is Suki with him?" he asked noticing that she wasn't here either.

"I think they were under the impression that the meeting wasn't until tonight," Katara said with a slight blush on her cheeks.

'Well, that can't be good,' Zuko thought to himself. "It's okay though. If everybody doesn't mind waiting a little longer, I can easily send Sokka a note," Zuko said. "Does anyone have a problem with that?" Zuko asked forcefully while silently hoping that no one would object. No one spoke up, so Zuko excused himself to go and send a note to Sokka.

"_Dear Sokka,_

_Sorry if you didn't know this, but there's sort of a peace meeting going on right now, so everyone would appreciate it if you would come as quickly as possible. Sorry if I didn't let you know before, but I'm telling you now! Thanks again Sokka._

_From, Zuko"_

Zuko sent the messenger hawk off as quickly as possible and then rushed back to the peace meeting. He found everyone chatting amongst themselves. Zuko smiled to himself. 'So it is possible to have peace,' he thought happily.

Zuko sat back down next to Aang. Zuko absentmindedly slipped back into his stiff, hard, emotionless mask.

Aang nudged him. "What?" Zuko asked

"Zuko, you have to learn to loosen up! You look totally freaky right now," Aang said with a hint of fear in his voice.

"Sorry," Zuko started out, "It's a bad habit I sort of picked up since before I can remember. However, I have also been told that I freak out about everything," Zuko said thoughtfully.

"Well, that is sort of true," Aang said, "You sort of overreact about a lot of things."

"Well, it's nice to know that," Zuko said sardonically. "How I can change that, I have no idea!"

Aang looked thoughtful. "Zuko, you are who you are. Although you may be sort of cold sometimes, deep down I think that you do care about things. I also think that you should try and find the one other person that loved you other than your uncle—your mom," Aang said with a hint of care in his voice.

Zuko thought about this intensely. "I would love to see my mom again," Zuko said slowly, "but what if I can't find her?" Zuko asked.

"It's still worth a try. I know that I would love to see air benders again, and I'm going to go look for them after I go to your uncle's celebration party," Aang said.

"I think you're right Aang—thanks," Zuko said.

Aang was about to say something but Sokka rushed into the room panting at that particular moment, so Aang shut his mouth. Suki was standing close behind him with a smile on her face.

The entire room fell silent and looked at Sokka and Suki. Sokka stood there dumbly, a deep red color covering his face while Suki let a giggle slip through her red lips.

"Sorry we're late Sparky!" Sokka said—he was obviously trying to draw attention away from himself. Whatever his motives, it worked. Zuko slapped his forehead at the silly nickname, and everyone started laughing.

'At least it wasn't Zuzu,' Zuko thought happily. He had always hated that nickname.

"Okay everybody," Zuko started, "now that you all know my nickname, lets get down to some real business."

"I don't know Sparky," Toph said playfully, "I think that everyone figuring out your nickname was pretty important!"

"Really Toph?" Zuko asked.

"Sorry Sparky! You'll have to be quicker next time!" Toph said with a smile on her face.

"Anyway," Zuko said irately, "I called this meeting to firstly apologize for Ozai and the fire nation's evil behavior over the past 100 years or so. We acted terribly, and I hope that former prejudices won't get in the way of our new era of peace."

Everyone clapped at this, and Zuko let a small smile come to his lips.

"I want to rebuild the world with all of you, and if you need anything, please just let me know. If you presently have any questions or concerns, speak up now," Zuko paused seeing if anyone had a complaint.

Sokka raised his hand. "Yes Sokka?" Zuko asked, regretting calling on him the moment Sokka began to speak.

"So, I've noticed that there are too many singing nomads who travel the world. Also, there is this cabbage merchant who—"Zuko cut Sokka off.

"Sokka, what do you expect me to do about that?" Zuko asked.

Everyone broke into laughter again.

"Are there any other concerns from anyone besides Sokka?" Zuko asked while trying to ignore Sokka's crazy hand and weird noises.

No one else raised their hand, so Zuko continued, "Okay then. I'll be traveling to everywhere I can over the next few months to help rebuild everyone's cities. I hope that this will be done soon, but it may take a while. I hope to see you all soon, and I hope I haven't interrupted anything too important for any of you. Enjoy the rest of your day, and I hope that you all will come to the festival tonight," Zuko said.

Zuko stood and bowed to everyone in the room and Aang followed in suit. Everyone bowed back, and then the room filled with light, happy conversations.

Zuko exited the room as quickly as he could without seeming to be rude, and then ran down the hallway as he looked for the fastest way to get to the Boiling Rock. He was going to talk to Ozai and hopefully find his mother.


	5. Chapter 5

Zuko was just about to climb on Appa when he heard footsteps coming up behind him. Zuko glanced at the figure to see who it was. When he did see who it was, he had to take a deep breath to calm himself.

Katara started running toward the front gate of the palace while yelling, "Hey Zuko! Wait up!"

Zuko felt a chill run down his spine like it always did when she said his name.

When she reached him, he said quietly, "Hi Katara." He looked down at her from where he was standing. She was wearing her usual water tribe clothing along with her mother's necklace. Zuko imagined her with another necklace on—one that he had had made her. He smiled at the mere thought of her wearing his necklace. But his smile disappeared as the more pessimistic side of him said, 'Why would she ever love you?'

"Where do you think you're going fire lord?" she asked. That pulled Zuko out from his own bitter thoughts.

"I'm going to take the first step in order to find my mother," Zuko replied. He really did not want to deal with Ozai at this moment, but he didn't see what other choice he had.

"Which is…?" Katara asked quizzically.

"I'm going to talk to Ozai about what happened to her. I have a feeling that she killed my grandfather, ironically in order to save me." Zuko gave a curt laugh.

"I know she was banished, but I have no idea if she's still alive. I know that Ozai knows something because on the Day of the Black Sun, he asked me if I wanted to know what happened to my mother. He was trying to kill me then, but I don't think that he would lie about something like that," Zuko finished ruefully. He had always wanted his father's love, but it was never something that he could have.

Zuko looked at Katara wondering hopelessly about what she would say. She opened her mouth and then closed it. She seemed to be struggling for words.

Then, she said what Zuko was not expecting to hear. "I'm coming with you," she said as she began to climb on Appa.

Before she could though, Zuko had put a hand in front of her, blocking her way to Appa.

"Let go Zuko," Katara said quietly. "If you know what's good for you you'll move your hand."

"No Katara," Zuko said with a sense of finality. "You can't be with me when this happens. This is something that I need to do alone. I think that I'll be able to handle myself just fine."

"Zuko, will you be able to not hurt your father? After everything Aang went through, you really can't hurt him," Katara said.

"No Katara! It's too dangerous! Actually, it's not that dangerous, but I really don't want you near the Boiling Rock prison," Zuko said.

"You were there for me when I needed you Zuko, so why won't you let me help you?" She asked angrily.

"Maybe it's because I don't need your help," Zuko stated quietly.

"How would you know what you need Zuko? You haven't let anyone take care of you for the past 6 years! Your uncle did his best, but you cut him out!" Katara said without thinking.

Zuko lowered his head and realized her mistake. "Oh Tui! I forgot! I'm so sorry Zuko!" Katara said with sadness in her voice.

Zuko looked back up at her. "No, you're right. As always. I made many mistakes as far as my uncle is concerned, and even though he forgave me, I still feel pretty bad about betraying him. And you're also right that I haven't had anyone take care of me for the past few years. As I once said to Aang, not having anyone take care of me and always being second to Azula has made me strong—it's who I am," Zuko finished.

"Besides, Aang needs you here," Zuko stated.

Katara stuck her lip out. "But Zuko, I want to help you!" Katara said pleadingly.

Zuko shook his head. Sometimes, she was just so absolutely annoying. "You aren't going to let me go alone, are you?" Zuko asked ruefully.

Katara shook her head and Zuko sighed. He knew that if it had been anyone else he would have said no, but Katara was different. Apart from the fact that he loved her, he still wanted to become better friends with her because that was all they were—for now anyway.

"Fine. You can come this time. But never again," Zuko said with a tone of annoyance in his voice.

He looked into Katara's happy azure eyes and was actually glad that he hadn't turned her down.

But, a thought entered his mind and voiced it instantly to Katara. "On one condition," Zuko said. Katara's face fell just the slightest bit. "You have to go tell the others where we're going and that we'll be in Ba Sing Se by tomorrow," Zuko finished.

Katara nodded and then ran off. Zuko sat down on a rock next to Appa and said, "Why am I so bad at this? It's too complicated. And what am I supposed to do about Mai? This isn't going to end well, I just know it. What do you think?" Zuko asked Appa.

Appa growled and Zuko threw his head in his hands while saying, "That's what I think too."

Zuko was about to say something else when he heard Katara running down the hallway.

"Monkey feathers!' Zuko grumbled in such a low voice it was inaudible. He really hoped she wasn't listening to what he had said.

Katara walked into the entrance to the gardens and gave Zuko a warm smile. She walked up to him until they were inches from each other's faces. Zuko wanted to lean in and kiss her, but instinctively, he leaned back so that the moment wasn't quite so awkward.

He started to rub the back of his neck like he always did when he was feeling uncomfortable. He offered Katara a hand to help her get on Appa and she took it gratefully.

However when their hands touched there was something that sparked and they both removed their hands before anything could happen.

Katara looked embarrassed. "Thanks, but no thanks," she said quietly.

"It's okay," Zuko said and then thought to himself, 'She felt it too.'


	6. Chapter 6

Zuko climbed onto Appa after Katara was safely up. "Yip Yip," he quietly whispered in Appa's ear.

They sat in silence for most of the journey until they were about halfway to the Boiling Rock.

Katara was content listening to the water's steady push and pull of the waves. She smiled at the sound. She always felt comforted when she was around the water.

However, that brought her thoughts back to her pathetic position in life. She still had mixed feelings about Zuko—more so now than ever.

She looked over at him. He was looking all sulky again. She wanted to just scream. One second he acts all nice, sweet, and lively, and the next second he would be back in his cold, hard, careless mask.

Katara also had mixed feelings about Aang. She was so proud of him, and truly loved him. The only problem was, she loved Aang more like a brother, not like a boyfriend. Plus, he _was_ only twelve years old. Zuko on the other hand…

Katara shook her head. It would never work out. Zuko loved Mai, and Zuko didn't really seem the type to even fall in love.

She looked over to him. He was staring into the distance, and the scar that dominated the left side of his face was turned away from her.

Katara had always wondered ho Zuko had gotten that scar, and she often wanted to ask, but she had always chickened out.

Now seemed the perfect opportunity to ask where he had gotten that scar because they were on a "field trip" for _him_ this time.

Katara gave a light cough to get Zuko's attention. He turned around and gave her a light smile.

"We're almost there Katara, just another half hour or so," Zuko said quietly. He stood up and walked over to her. Katara admired him for doing this—they were really high up, and she was always scared to death of falling off.

Zuko took a seat next to her and looked into her eyes. Katara wanted to just stare into his beautiful golden eyes all day long.

However, Zuko saw that there was something off about her. "Is there something wrong Katara?" he asked, nothing but concern in his eyes.

Katara smiled at the fact that he cared about her and then said, "No Zuko. There isn't anything wrong with me. But, I do have a personal question to ask you," she finished.

She looked at Zuko waiting for a response. He looked sort of scared. "I guess so," he said hesitantly.

"I promise it isn't anything bad," she started, "but, I don't think you'll really want to talk about it."

She stared into his golden eyes again, and they encouraged her to continue. "I just wanted to know how you got your scar," she said very quietly.

Zuko exhaled loudly and started rubbing the back of his neck again. "It's not something I really like to think or talk about," Zuko stated coldly. "I thought you would know though. I mean, after it happened, everyone in the fire nation knew within a matter of minutes—you know how fast stories spread. But, I'll tell you. You should know," he spoke in a low voice, and Katara was eager to hear what he had to say.

"I was thirteen years old. My mother had been gone for about three years now, and I missed her terribly. Ozai, as you know is a heartless being—he really doesn't care for anyone but himself. Perhaps he cared for Azula, but if she didn't have her bending he probably wouldn't have cared for her either. He never even wanted me back after he banished me," he said sadly.

"I had always wanted to prove myself better than Azula, but I never really did. At age thirteen, I really wanted to be important, like my father and my uncle. So, I went to my first war meeting. I really shouldn't have gone.

"If I hadn't gone, I would not have had to speak out against a plan to sacrifice a fleet of soldiers to have a small victory over a small city. I would not have had to face my father in an Agni Kai," Zuko said miserably. Katara gasped.

"Your father couldn't have been that harsh," Katara said firmly. "That would be murder…" she trailed off into her own thoughts.

"Well," Zuko muttered, "he did. He challenged me and I refused to fight. I wasn't going to battle my father. I probably would have died if I had. I had lost my honor for not fighting him and the only way to regain that honor was by capturing the Avatar."

Katara gasped. She had always wondered why he had been so intent on capturing Aang. Now she could see that he had just wanted for his father to love him.

She reached out to give Zuko a pat on the back, but then thought better of it and pulled her hand back while blushing furiously. What would have Zuko done if she had touched his shoulder? Would he have flinched away?

Zuko raised his head to look at Katara. He looked confused as to why she was blushing, which just made her blush even harder. She had to change the subject so he wouldn't be able to know why she was so embarrassed.

"That's terrible," Katara started, "No one should have had to be away from your family for three years," Katara paused, and then asked hesitantly, "What actually happened to your mother?"

Zuko let out a breath he had obviously been holding. "That's not a happy memory either. You have to know first that the fire nation royals have never been a noble or caring breed," Zuko shuddered, and Katara knew it was because he thought that he was the same as his ancestors.

"You aren't like them Zuko," Katara said, "You are caring, honorable, noble, sweet, and strong. You aren't like them at all."

Katara didn't notice that Zuko's cheeks turned the lightest shade of pink you could possibly imagine, but she did notice that he gave a small smile.

"Thank you Katara. I'm not really like that though. However, it doesn't change the fact that most my family are mostly mongrels. Anyway, my uncle had recently lost his firstborn son. It was a trying time for him, and naturally, my father was heartless enough to ask Azulon to be fire lord," Zuko said with disgust.

Katara felt her stomach drop. No one was that heartless, right?

Zuko smiled bitterly. "Surprised? It only gets worse you know," he said. Katara paled.

"After he told my grandfather that, my grandfather was reasonably angry. My mother and I weren't there when this happened, but Azula was eavesdropping, and she told me the account later that night. Anyway, Azulon was mad. Really mad. He said that my father needed to suffer the loss of a firstborn son, so he ordered my father to kill me. I have no doubt that he would have had my mother not come up with an alternative plan. Of course, she killed my grandfather and was then banished while Ozai became fire lord," Zuko said.

"I would really like to know where she is just so I can see her again. Ozai will tell me where she is," Zuko said finally.

Katara winced in pain. She hated that Zuko had been put through so much in his young life. She felt her eyes getting moist and she did what her instincts told her to. She pulled Zuko into a fierce bear hug.

"Oh Zuko!" Katara exclaimed, "You've been put through so much. You've never really had much of a childhood, and you don't have a family other than your uncle. Is there anything I can do?" Katara asked desperately.

"I'm fine Katara. I've just been put through a lot, and I have a family now. You all are the family that I never had. I'm happy now, and I appreciate everything you've done for me. So thank you," Zuko said as he pushed her off of him.

Katara flushed and then said, "No. Thank _you_ Zuko. I would have never been able to face my mother's killer if it weren't for you."

Zuko glanced around to see where they were. Katara looked around too. She could see the boiling rock from where they were.

"It looks as though it's time to pay my father a visit," Zuko said with a subtle threat in his voice.


	7. Chapter 7

"It's going to be fine Zuko," Katara said. She could only hope that she was right. She prayed to Yue that Zuko wouldn't be able to tell that she was just as scared as he was.

Zuko gave her an expression that said, 'Are you serious?' However, his eyes didn't match his expression. She knew that he didn't want to see Ozai after everything he had put Zuko through. Even though she knew this, she still grimaced. "Okay fine, you win. I'm scared for you. I want you to find your mom, but only Agni knows Ozai did to her! I don't want you to go through what I had to." Katara could feel a tear roll down her tan cheek.

"Are you crying?" Zuko asked in a tone of disbelief.

Katara turned away in embarrassment. Trying to seem tough, she said, "Are you crazy? Why would you say that?" However, Katara's voice had other plans. Her voice cracked and she started sobbing into her knees.

Katara hadn't noticed that Zuko had moved until he had one arm placed awkwardly around her shoulders. Katara leaned her face into his muscled chest and continued to sob. He rubbed her arm in a very understanding way and whispered words of encouragement into her ears.

Katara's sobs subsided after they had landed for a couple of minutes. She looked up into Zuko's beautiful golden eyes and gave a half-hearted smile.

"I'm sorry Zuko. Sometimes I just miss her so much, and it just slips out," Katara whispered.

"There's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes, I miss my mother so much, I just want to sit down and cry. But, honestly, I usually hold up until I'm alone," he said quietly.

Katara smiled. "I would have guessed that much. You aren't really good at expressing your emotions," she said with a giggle.

Zuko's face turned a light shade of pink. "So I've been told," he muttered almost indistinctly.

They sat there for a few minutes just thinking, but after a few minutes, they realized that they were in a really awkward position.

Zuko moved away from Katara gently, then they got off Appa together.

Katara looked at Zuko but quickly turned away. He looked rather morose, and she really didn't want to start crying in front of him again just because she was sad her mother died. Zuko was able to keep it all bottled up tohimself anyway.

She felt her cheeks growing hot. What did he think of her? She didn't usually cry in front of people, but the one time she did, she just had to cry in front of Zuko. Of all people Zuko!

She looked at his shirt where her head had been a couple of minutes ago. It was very, very wet. She looked down as her face turned an even deeper red.

Why on earth had she done that? She really needed to get a grip before she ended up breaking not only Aang's heart, but also her own. She knew that Zuko would never be able to love her like she loved him. She was just a friend to him after all. Nothing more, nothing less.

Katara sighed. If only he knew…

"Katara?" Zuko asked, Are you okay? You seem like you just sort of spaced out."

'La!' Katara thought to herself. How long had she been out of it? Zuko must think her to be an even bigger fool now!

"I-I-I'm f-f-f-fine," she stuttered. Her voice was a little shaky from all the crying she'd done.

Zuko looked into her eyes with nothing but concern in his own amber ones. "Are you sure Katara? You should probably sit down for a while," Zuko said softly. He was ready to receive the beating he knew he would get from Katara for saying that. She had never liked not being able to do anything.

Katara immediately calmed down and gave Zuko an angry glare. "I'm not weak," Katara insisted. "I can get along just fine."

"I know you can Katara. You're one of the strongest and bravest people I know. You fought Azula, remember?" His eyes flashed down to where Azula had struck him and then gave Katara a thankful look.

Katara blushed and then asked, "Are you sure you're okay? She hit you pretty hard… I could give you a healing session if you want…"

Zuko started to laugh. "I'm fine Katara! Honestly! Sometimes you can be so motherly, but that's one of the things that I like most about you. It's a shame you never had a mother to look after you. You need someone to look after you too Katara," Zuko finished with a smile on his face.

"Are you sure Zuko? It wouldn't be a problem for me to-" Zuko cut her off mid-sentence.

"Really Katara. I'm fine, and I can take care of myself believe it or not. I did for three years. Believe me, I'm fine. Are _you_ okay? You don't have to come if you don't want to."

Katara couldn't decide if she wanted to act tough, or succumb to her pain, loss and love.

That small pause was all it took for Zuko. He put an arm on her shoulder and she felt a jolt of electricity shoot through her. "You need someone to look after you Katara. Even though you are strong, brave, and caring on the outside, you also need to be taken care of and loved on the inside. You need to take a break from it all—for now at least. Just sit down and meditate while I go to see my father. It really helps, trust me. Does that sound okay?" Zuko asked.

Katara nodded. "Just tell me if you need anything Katara, okay?" Zuko said. He patted her shoulder tentatively and then walked off to where he would finally find out what really happened to his mother.

Katara watched him walk away and then whispered, "What I need… I need _you _Zuko…"


	8. Chapter 8

Zuko walked down the long hallways of the boiling rock while thinking intensely. He was still surprised that Katara broke down like that; she usually acted so strong most of the time. He felt so bad that Katara had to go through some of what he had to go through—it was terrible losing your mother. It wasn't something you could easily get back.

'At least she had a loving father and brother,' Zuko though bitterly. His family had always been so messed up. His family caused him to lose his mother, his new friends, and they almost cost him his life.

"Azula always lies…" Zuko muttered under his breath. He was approaching his father's cell. He carefully put on an expressionless face. It wasn't that hard for him because he usually didn't show any emotion to people.

He took a deep breath and opened the door that would lead him to his father. He gave a soft grunt as he walked in. He was ashamed to be related to his father, and he had a feeling that his dislike would grow even stronger as he would have to rebuild everything his father and ancestors had destroyed.

Zuko shut the door behind him and walked toward the small, huddled shape of his father huddled in the corner.

Zuko could see his father's eyes flash toward him and look down in disappointment and maybe some shame.

Zuko looked back at his father with disgust. He really didn't want to be anywhere near this awful man right now—for that matter, he didn't ever want to be near him.

Ozai spoke up in a course voice, "I should count myself lucky. The new fire lord has graced me with his presence in my lowly prison cell."

Zuko wanted to throw everything he had at his father—he wanted to make him suffer. This man was responsible for almost ruining his life. Thank Agni he had gained some tolerance after he had met with those dragons. 'And after Katara came into my life I was more tolerant,' Zuko amended quietly to himself.

Zuko remained mad at his father though. "You should count yourself lucky the Avatar spared your life," Zuko retorted.

Ozai grunted. Zuko wanted to roll his eyes. Why was his father so prideful, even now after he had been in prison for a good number of days? Shouldn't he be a little more reasonable?

"Banishing me was the beat thing you could have done for my life," Zuko stated coldly, "It put me on the right path." Zuko paused and looked down at his father.

Evil or not, Aang was right. He was still a human being who needed love, just like Katara. He could almost physically feel his heart soften at the mere thought of her. She was so innocent and caring. He wanted to be like her because she was just so special. 'Well, I might as well show my father a little bit of hope,' Zuko thought.

"Perhaps your time in here could do the same for you," Zuko finished with the tiniest hint of care in his voice.

Ozai's eyes flashed to the wall as he asked, "Why are you really here?" His tone was like ice—hard and accusing.

Zuko took in a deep breath as he stooped to the ground to look into his father's cold, hard, and uncaring eyes. "Because you are going to tell me something. Where is my mother?" Zuko asked- his tone of voice was hard and demanding.

Zuko could see a smile creep across Ozai's face, and knew that it wasn't a good sign. "Why would I tell you Zuko? You haven't done me many favors lately. Perhaps I shall keep this bit of information to myself," he stated calmly.

"Father, I know that you must be mad at me, but please hear me out. I've scarcely been loved since mother went away. You never loved me-you were willing to kill me for Agni's sake! No, scratch that. You were _going_ to kill me. Azula wouldn't have cared if I had died! She didn't care when she struck me with lightning and then almost killed Katara, and she certainly wouldn't have cared if _you_ killed me. My mother was the only one to ever care at all for me other than Uncle Iroh. I'm sure that you had people doting over you your entire life, and I'm sure that there was someone out there that loved you. Other than Iroh, the only person that loved me was my mother. I'm not going to order you to tell me where she is. I am not here as the fire lord, but as your son who cares about your wife. Please tell me where she is," Zuko finished. He had actually managed to be civil toward his father and then sent a silent thanks to Yue who most likely helped him with that.

Ozai gave a cold chuckle. "Why would I ever deny you the pleasure of having to find her for yourself?" Ozai said cruelly.

"Fine, be cold hearted. I'm used to doing things myself anyway. So I take it she is alive?" Zuko asked with hope in his heart.

"I suppose I'll give you that. From the last time I heard, she was alive, but things can change very easily, especially when someone is surrounded by dangerous people." Ozai smiled evilly.

"What did you do to her? Or rather, what did she do to you? You have a bad tendency of hurting people who you're supposed to love," Zuko said accusingly.

"Does it look like I care?" Ozai asked in a bored monotone.

"I really hope that your time in here does you some good. Because right now, you are sick and being a real jerk," Zuko said disgustedly. He was about to say jerk bender, but stopped himself just in time. He would have to berate Sokka later for coming up with that stupid phrase.

"Goodbye father. I can't say that I hope to see you soon, but I'll probably come back anyway," Zuko said. And with that, Zuko turned around, and left his father's presence.


	9. Chapter 9

Katara was growing restless. Zuko had been gone for what seemed to be a really long time. 'Where could he be?' Katara wondered aimlessly to herself.

He wouldn't killed Ozai if Ozai didn't give him the information he needed, right? 'No, no, no. I know Zuko better than that. He would never do anything to purposely hurt anybody like that,' Katara said to herself.

Katara leaned back on Appa and muttered into his wooly fur, "I hope Zuko gets back soon." As she said it, she saw Zuko coming towards her.

Katara gave him a smile as big as she could give him. She was so happy to see him—she was starting to get sort of depressed being around this creepy prison.

She walked towards him curious to how the encounter went with his father. His face was expressionless until he saw her—he gave her a small encouraging smile.

When they met each other, Katara looked into Zuko's eyes with unspoken questions in her own.

"My father didn't give me any information other than the fact that she is still alive," Zuko said wearily. Katara looked at him again wondering if he had done anything to Ozai.

"You still doubt me?" Zuko asked in pure bewilderment, "I didn't do anything to him, other than maybe being a little cruel. I wasn't going to kill him, especially after everything that Aang went through not to kill Ozai."

Katara felt relief wash over her and then gave Zuko a hug. She felt a rush of adrenaline run through her veins. Zuko stiffened at her touch, but then relaxed into it.

"I'm sorry Ozai didn't tell you anything about your mom," she mumbled into his muscular chest.

"It's okay," Zuko said quietly, "At least I know she's alive. I also know another place that I can look for information about her. I don't know why I didn't think of this before!"

Katara released Zuko from her immovable grasp. "So, where do we go now?" Katara asked Zuko.

"Well, finding my mother can wait. My Uncle invited us to go to a little celebration get together, remember? He would literally kill me if I didn't come. So, we need to get to Ba Sing Se within the next few days. We need to be there the day after tomorrow.

"Right now though, we should go to a nearby city or village and stay there for tomorrow. Ready to get going?" Zuko asked Katara.

Katara smiled and said, "Of course."

Zuko offered Katara his hand again and she took it and climbed onto Appa. Zuko hopped on after her and then sat down next to her with the reigns in his hands.

He muttered, "Yip yip," and they took off.

Zuko was looking straight ahead, and Katara was looking at Zuko. She wanted to start a conversation, so she started with a simple subject.

"So, Fire lord. Are you excited for your new job?" Katara asked.

Zuko smiled and looked at Katara with something in his eyes that Katara couldn't place. Was it care?

"Sort of," Zuko answered, "It seems as though it's a lot of work especially after all the war. I have a bad feeling I'll be working overtime for the next 5 years or so," Zuko said. "Too bad I won't have time to practice my Tsunki Horn," Zuko muttered.

Katara laughed. He had such a dry sense of humor, but that was one of Zuko's favorite things about him. "You play the Tsunki Horn?" she asked.

Zuko blushed, but answered, "Yes. My uncle thinks I'm 'wonderful' but I know I'm not. I don't enjoy playing it in front of other people mostly because uncle was always begging me to play on music night. I never did enjoy those nights," he said sadly.

"I never played any instruments, so I can't really relate to that," Katara said.

"Maybe I could teach you how to play the Tsunki Horn sometime," Zuko said jokingly.

"I'll hold you to your word Sparky. Careful what you wish for!" Katara said as Zuko grimaced at Sokka's nickname for him.

Obviously wanting to change the subject, Zuko spoke up and said, "Hey, look over there! It's a village that we can stay at. What do you think Katara? It's small, but it'll do for tonight. I don't know about you, but I've had a long day and I just want to rest now."

Katara recognized this village. She was eager to see the villagers again. "I agree with you Zuko. I think we should stay here for tonight. Let's go."

Zuko pulled Appa down and they landed on a dock where Katara met a familiar face—it was none other than Doc.


	10. Chapter 10

Zuko looked at a man that he didn't recognize as he and Katara were walking towards the dock. He looked at Katara and saw her beaming at the man.

'Who is this guy?' Zuko wondered. He was also curious as to how Katara knew him. The gaang had only been in the fire nation for a few weeks, and Zuko was under the impression that they had been training a lot after their 'little' encounter at Ba Sing Se.

"Who is this Katara?" Zuko asked in a whisper.

Katara smiled and was obviously deep in thought. "This is Doc. We came here very shortly before the day of the black sun. I sort of dressed up as a Spirit and blew apart a fire nation factory," she answered his unasked question with a light blush on her cheeks.

"You did that?" Zuko asked her, "I remember how much trouble that caused-Azula was complaining about how disrespectful it was to destroy fire nation property," Zuko added with small chuckle.

Katara's blush deepened as she said, "Well, it's not like I cared what I did to Ozai or his property back then. He was terrible," she said with a disgusted tone.

"You got that right," Zuko said.

Katara muttered something unintelligible underneath her breath. Zuko smiled and then looked back toward Doc.

Doc approached them and said, "Hey, you're that water Bender that helped our village, aren't you?" Doc asked.

Katara nodded and then went up to Doc and gave him a big hug. She pulled back and then asked, "So, how's the village been in the past few weeks. Is everything going well?"

"I'm not sure," Doc said, "Let me call my brother Shoo."

Katara slapped her forehead. "Are we really going to have to go through this again?"

Doc just giggled and then snorted. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said with an evil grin on his wrinkled face. "Let me go get Shoo now."

Doc turned toward Shoo's shop and then ducked behind the counter and changed his hat.

He stood back up and then walked over to them. "Hey there water bender," he said, "It's nice to see you again."

Katara just shook her head and muttered to Zuko, "I'll explain later."

Then, she looked at Shoo and asked hesitantly, "Do you have any _edible_ food?" Shoo just looked at her and laughed.

"The quality of our food has much improved since you helped us," Shoo said happily. "Thank you again."

As soon as he said that, he looked at Zuko. "And who is this?" he asked Katara. Katara opened her mouth, about to speak when Shoo said, "No, no, no. Let me guess. Is he your boyfriend?"

Zuko could feel his cheeks turn bright red, and Katara's were doing the same. 'Why do people always assume we're together?' Zuko thought to himself. Truthfully though, Zuko actually sort of liked it, although he would never say that to anyone.

But, their situation was really awkward, so Zuko said, "I'm not her boyfriend!" while Katara said, "He's not my boyfriend!" with anger in her voice.

Katara took one look at Shoo's face and then said, "I mean, we aren't dating or anything like that. We're really good friends though!"

"Don't I know you from somewhere?" Shoo asked Zuko. Zuko looked at Shoo and didn't think he recognized him, and he was about to answer when Katara answered for him.

"You may recognize him because he's the new fire lord," Katara said as he looked up proudly at Zuko.

'She's so motherly sometimes,' Zuko thought to himself. But then he thought about all the times her loving care had helped him, and decided that her motherliness was one of his favorite things about her.

"Oh!" Shoo exclaimed. "I should have known! Sorry for any disrespect my lord," Shoo finished. He was about to bow, but Zuko stopped him.

"That's okay," Zuko said. "I'm just a normal person like you, so there's no need to bow," Zuko finished humbly.

Shoo turned to Katara and said, "You've got yourself a great man!" he exclaimed.

Zuko's cheeks were crimson at this point. Katara sighed and then said to Shoo, "I already told you, we aren't dating," she said.

Zuko could have sworn that there was a hint of remorse in her voice, but he decided that he was probably just imagining things.

Zuko decided that he didn't like the way this conversation was headed, so he quickly changed the subject. "So, back to the topic of food. Do you have any?" Zuko asked Shoo.

Shoo laughed again and then went behind the counter to get some food. He took out a bundle of fish that didn't look so appetizing. Zuko grimaced.

"These look great Shoo!" Katara said happily.

"Thanks water bender! They aren't as muddy anymore, see?" Shoo said while opening up one of the fish's mouth really close to Katara's face.

She took a step backwards and said, "That's great Shoo! I'm so glad that my friends and I could help your village. We are sort of on a tight schedule though, and we are long due for a rest, so we're going to make camp on the other side of the lake. If you need anything, just give me a call!" Katara said contentedly.

She took the fish and paid Shoo. "Thanks again for everything you've done," Shoo said. "Our village really appreciated it."

"See you tomorrow Shoo," Katara and Zuko said simultaneously.

And with that, they went to the other side of the river to set up their camp for the night.


	11. Chapter 11

The next day Katara awoke on top of Appa. 'How did I get up here?' Katara asked herself.

She opened her eyes slightly so she could see where Zuko was. He was sitting on Appa's head while steering him skillfully.

She cursed silently as she thought about how she must have gotten up on Appa. How long had she been out? Were they almost to Ba Sing Se?

Katara sat up as quietly as she could while putting up her hair so it didn't look too ghastly. She tried sneaking up on Zuko so that she could give him a good punch in the arm for picking her up while she was sleeping and putting her on Appa.

However, he caught her hand before it made contact with his arm. "I wouldn't suggest doing that up here Katara. I don't want you and I to fall off Appa into the water," Zuko said seriously.

Why didn't you wake me up?" Katara asked hotly. She gave Zuko a glare that would have seriously hurt him if looks could kill.

"Well, I waited until about 9, and you still weren't up at that point in time, so I decided to just put you on Appa. You needed the rest," Zuko stated simply.

"What time is it now?" Katara asked. She really hoped that she hadn't slept in too late.

"It's about 3,"Zuko said. Katara's mouth dropped open. She couldn't have slept for that long, had she?

Since she had been sleeping for such a long amount of time, a wave of vertigo hit her and she fell backwards ready to feel Appa's soft fur, but she didn't feel it. All she felt was a pair of strong arms holding her up.

She looked up into Zuko's eyes and said, "Sorry, just a little dizzy."

Zuko gave a soft chuckle and set her down on Appa's saddle. "You were out for a long time…" he said.

"Are we almost there?" Katara asked Zuko quickly. Zuko looked under where they were—they were over Ba Sing Se right now.

"We should be arriving right about now," Zuko said as they were getting closer and closer to the ground.

They landed right in front of Iroh's tea shop ready for a fun evening. Iroh was standing outside waiting for them.

He smiled as he said, "You came! I thought you would have tried getting out of coming. You never really enjoyed these gatherings," Iroh said thoughtfully.

"I'm fine as long as you don't try and make me do something I can't do," Zuko responded.

Katara looked at Iroh and asked, "Do you need any help Iroh?"

"Oh, thank you Katara. As a matter of fact, I need some help brewing the tea that we are going to have. You can help too Prince Zuko," Iroh said.

"We'd be happy to help, right Zuko?" Katara asked.

"Of course… Although, I'm not that good at making tea…" Zuko trailed off into his thoughts.

"Prince Zuko, you really should keep practicing the art of tea making. You will never learn if you never try," Iroh said with an encouraging smile.

Zuko quickly changed the subject. "So, is anyone else here yet?" Zuko asked his uncle with an irate tone.

"Actually, we had to change the date we were meeting to tomorrow due to the conflicting schedules. Lady Toph and the Avatar were going to a festival today, so they won't be here till tomorrow. I believe your brother and Lady Suki were going to Ember Island to see the Ember Island Players perform "Love Amongst the Dragons," and Lady Mai was spending the day with Haru at a nearby village," Iroh finished happily.

"You don't mind us staying here for tonight, do you uncle?" Zuko asked, "We don't have anywhere else to stay."

Iroh gave a hearty laugh. "I'll let you stay on one condition," Iroh said. Katara heard Zuko groan and couldn't imagine why.

"You have to go out for a few hours with Lady Katara here. I have some old friends coming over, and I would normally let you stay, but since the war just ended, I think you should get out and have fun while you can. You won't have as much time once you really start being fire lord," Iroh finished.

Katara blushed at the prospect of hanging out with Zuko for a few hours. Secretly she wished that this actually worked out.

Zuko sighed. "Must you always do this to me?" he asked sadly.

"So you'll do it?" Iroh asked hopefully. Zuko looked towards Katara. Katara wasn't sure what would happen if she said yes or no.

"I don't mind either way, Zuko," Katara said slowly. Zuko mumbled some things under his breath before he finally spoke.

"If you insist, I suppose we'll do it. If it's all right with you Katara," Zuko finished. Katara just nodded.

"Thank you nephew! I appreciate your enthusiasm!" Iroh stated happily. Katara wondered if he was purposely trying to make Zuko mad, because there was smoke coming through his nostrils.

"Stop patronizing me uncle! You always make me do things through blackmail!" Zuko practically shouted.

"Stop your whining and help me make that tea. Then you can go and have fun!" Iroh finished.

Zuko looked at Katara with an apology written on his face, and they went further into the tea shop to help Iroh.


	12. Chapter 12

*Disclaimer* I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender even though I wish I did. Kill Kataang! Maybe that's a bit harsh, but you get the point.

As Katara and Zuko walked further into the tea shop, Katara noticed that the place was completely decorated even though Iroh had only regained his tea shop a couple of days ago.

Katara shot a questioning look at Zuko, and he answered quickly. "My uncle likes to shop, okay," Zuko said almost wretchedly.

Katara giggled. "Why are you so upset that your uncle is such a big buyer?" she asked curiously.

Zuko shook his head with an extremely pained look on his face. "Well, one reason is because I nearly died due to his extraneous shopping habits. Another is just that I don't enjoy shopping. It's not worth the effort and it takes too much time," Zuko said wryly.

"Oh come on! He can't be that bad!" Katara said while trying to contain her laughter.

Zuko looked behind him to see if his uncle was there. He seemed to be gone for the moment, so Zuko grabbed Katara's hand and then said, "Come with me."

Katara immediately let go of Zuko's hand and Zuko seemed to have done the same thing. Now that they were both aware of their surroundings and not nearly as emotional, they realized the awkwardness of their gentle touches.

Katara was blushing heatedly as she followed Zuko silently. Zuko was leading her down a narrow corridor until they reached a set of stairs. Zuko put a finger to his lips and then led her up the stairs and opened a rather small door.

Katara's mouth dropped open when she saw what was inside. It was full of seemingly useless trinkets, objects and instruments worth more money than it would take to build the entire southern water tribe.

"You weren't joking, were you?" Katara breathed.

Zuko shook his head sadly. "I really wish that I _was_ joking. You don't know how much time and money my uncle has wasted buying this stuff," Zuko said half-heartedly. "But we should get down and work on that tea now. Uncle will not be happy with me if I don't keep my word. Let's go," Zuko finished quietly.

They went back downstairs to the kitchen and found Iroh there. He had obviously been waiting for them there.

"Where have you two been? I have been waiting for you. It is of no matter. Anyway, I need some Jasmine tea , Ginseng tea, Lychee tea, Green tea, Spiced tea, White Dragon tea, Ginger tea, and that Chi-Enhancing tea which you make so well, Prince Zuko," Iroh finished happily.

Katara looked over at Zuko and she could see an extremely light puff of smoke exit his nostrils.

"Whatever you say uncle," he said in an apparently calm voice. Katara covered her mouth. It was fun watching them converse with each other—Iroh was always oblivious to Zuko's grouchy aura while Zuko was _trying_ to be kind and understanding towards the person that loved him like a father.

"Thank you again nephew. I have a very important friend coming over. I met her while I was coming to call the order of the white lotus. Perhaps you'll meet her as well," he said hopefully.

"Wait, this 'important' guest is a girl? You're making _us_ do _your_ work to impress _your_ date?" Zuko asked intensely.

"I am old Prince Zuko. I need someone to help me in my elderly state of being," Iroh said while giving Zuko a look no one could refuse.

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose and then grumbled, "Fine. But, I'm not doing this again," Zuko finished hotly.

Iroh immediately stopped putting on a show and clapped while saying, "Thank you Prince Zuko!"

Iroh ran over to Zuko and gave him an awkward hug until Zuko started fighting furiously to push him off.

"Let go of me! Don't make me change my mind uncle," Zuko finished darkly.

"Sorry Prince Zuko. Sometimes, you can be so sweet!" Iroh said while dabbing at his eyes.

Zuko rolled his eyes, obviously wanting to change the subject. He looked over to Katara for help. Katara quickly asked, "So, Iroh. Do you have the recipes for the tea? I've never really made any before…" Katara trailed off.

"That's okay," Iroh started. "Anyone can make tea as long as they do their best. Look at my nephew. He used to make the worst tea—"

Zuko cut him off. "My tea isn't that bad uncle! And after coming to Ba Sing Se even you have to admit I learned a thing or two," Zuko said.

"You also said that tea was nothing more than hot leaf juice. Obviously, it is much more than that," Iroh said confidently and wisely.

"Well that is what all tea is made of! Leaf Juice! I mean sometimes there is other stuff, but leaf juice is the basis of tea," Zuko stated.

Iroh wept silently into his robe. "Why nephew? How could you possibly say something like that?" Iroh asked sadly.

"Uncle, what is _your_ definition of tea?" Zuko asked. He regretted asking the question the moment that he asked.

"That is a very interesting topic Prince Zuko…" Iroh started. Zuko put his head down on the table as his uncle went on and on about tea, where it originated, why it was important, and other topics involving tea until Zuko was practically asleep.

Katara looked at Zuko and then said, "Excuse me Iroh, but your nephew should be listening to your wise words," Katara gave Zuko a burning glare.

Zuko looked up at her and gave her an antagonized gaze. It was apparent that he didn't particularly enjoy having long conversations about tea.

Iroh shook his head at his nephew and then said, "Oh thank you Lady Katara. You flatter me too much. I don't deserve your compliments." Iroh's cheeks were covered in light pink.

"Please Iroh, just call me Katara. There's no need for formality—not for me anyway. But it has been interesting to listen to you hear about tea. In the water tribes we don't really make a habit of constantly drinking tea. I love it, but I can't say I know much about it," Katara finished with a hint of remorse in her voice.

Iroh gasped in horror. "We need to have a long talk about his sometime Katara. I don't know what I would do without tea. It also appears that I need to revisit the water tribes and introduce them to the art of drinking tea frequently," Iroh said.

"However, I believe my nephew is growing tired of talking about tea, so we might as well make some," Iroh happily ended.

He walked over to a shelf and grabbed the recipes that Katara and Zuko would need. "Here you go young ones. I would stay and help, but I must prepare for my guest. Thank you again nephew and… Katara," Iroh said as he quickly exited the room.

As soon as he had left, Katara and Zuko saw his face pop through the door again. Zuko looked rather okay, even if a little miffed at the previous conversation.

"And by the way Katara, you can call me uncle," Iroh said happily while flashing Zuko a meaningful grin.

Zuko was out of his seat and escorting his uncle out of the room before Katara had even blinked. He appeared to be whispering something in his uncle's ear, but Katara couldn't hear a thing.

Zuko came back into the room, sat down, and groaned. Katara noticed he was slouching, so she went over to him and pulled his shoulders back so he was sitting up straight.

"What was that for?" Zuko nearly shouted at her. Katara just shook her head and laughed.

"I would think that the almighty fire lord would know not to slouch. It _is_ bad for you, after all," Katara said quietly.

The edges of Zuko's lips twitched. "You are the little mother aren't you?" He asked.

Katara smiled, "Yes I am. So straighten up and let's start boiling the tea," Katara ordered firmly.

"Whatever you say mother," Zuko said harmlessly. He walked over to the stove and started boiling some water.

Katara followed him and punched him in the arm. Zuko chuckled and then whispered, "I suppose I did deserve that."

"Don't mess with a water bender Zuko. Seriously. Don't forget it," Katara said menacingly as she walked over to the closet to get some tea.

She saw that there were millions of boxes of tea leaves and nearly collapsed. She gave a sigh of relief when she saw that they were labeled. She grabbed the types of leaves that Iroh had asked for and then brought them over to an island in the center of the kitchen.

Zuko had already ignited eight sections on the stove to boil the water so that they could make the tea. But they had to wait to actually make the tea, so Zuko sat down on the floor while Katara sat down on a chair at the table.

She drummed her fingers on the table. Zuko appeared to be meditating, but his left eye was twitching almost uncontrollably.

"Katara, could you please stop drumming your fingers on the table? It's sort of getting on my nerves," Zuko said angrily.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to do annoy you. I just don't have anything better to do. Unless you'd like to talk about something," Katara said slyly.

Zuko stood up in one fluid movement and then took the chair opposite Katara. "Okay, so what do you want to talk about?" Zuko asked.

Katara knew what she wanted to talk about, but knew she would probably just chicken out. 'Gee Zuko, I'd really like to know why you jumped in front of that lighning bolt to save me…' Katara thought. 'No Katara, not now—maybe the time will come later, but it's not now,' she thought to herself.

"I don't know. Whatever you want to talk about," Katara said softly while silently regretting not asking him. She just wanted to know why he would do that for her. For _her_.

"Really Katara. I don't care what we talk about," Zuko said. Katara looked down to where his scar would have been.

_She stood up and walked over to him. He shot her a questioning look as she undid his shirt and looked at the bandages that covered his scar. _

_ Still curious, she slowly unwrapped the bandages that covered his massive scar. _

_ "Katara, what are you doing?" Zuko asked as she placed her hand on the place where Azula had struck him. She looked down at her own torso where she should have been struck._

_ "Why?" she mouthed silently. Zuko sighed. _

_ "I don't know," Zuko said quietly. Katara looked down, disappointed in his answer, when he continued._

_ "Yes, I do know. Katara, you have always just been there for me when no one else was. You were there when uncle got hit by lightning, even though I didn't accept your help, you were there in the caves in Ba Sing Se, and you were there when Azula shot me. You are not only my best friend, but also the love of my life," Zuko said quietly._

_Katara could feel her eyes glossing over. She went back to the memories she had all but forgotten. The moments they had together, so short, but so priceless. She could have sworn that he was thinking about them to. _

_ They were both unconsciously leaning towards each other so their faces were only inches apart._

_ Katara considered leaning in so that her lips would be touching his, and then started daydreaming about what would happen if they were to officially be a couple. Her thoughts trailed, and she continued to lean in, and so did Zuko until their lips were touching._

_ It was a gentle kiss, yet it was passionate. Katara couldn't help but think that it just felt right. It wasn't awkward like it was with Aang, and it was simply peaceful. Their lips were moving in sync as Zuko gently slid his tongue into Katara's mouth, and then deepened the kiss. Katara could feel the warmth that was coming off of him, and it felt nice to say the least. 'That would be one positive thing about having a fire bender for a boyfriend if nothing else,' she thought to herself. She felt herself not wanting to move from where she was, so she held on to him tightly. _

She suddenly felt someone shake her gently. "What?" she said tiredly.

"Are you okay Katara? You just sort of spaced out…" Zuko trailed off. Katara gasped. Had she been daydreaming?

'Oh Yue…' she thought desperately. What was she supposed to say to him? She couldn't just tell the truth because that would lead to an extremely awkward situation.

She thought back to her daydream and then felt her cheeks grow hot. She looked at Zuko who had nothing but concern in his eyes.

"Oh yeah Zuko, I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be fine? I just couldn't think of anything to talk about! Why else would I have spaced out like that?" Katara said quickly and loudly.

Zuko looked at her skeptically. She tried to smile but she and Zuko knew it was a fake smile. "Okay, that's it water bender. You've had a long day and deserve to finally get some rest. Do you think you can get up the stairs on your own, or do you need me to carry you again?" he asked sarcastically.

Katara let out an indignant sigh. "There is no way you are doing that EVER again!" she said hotly.

"I'm still coming with you upstairs to make sure you don't fall or anything," Zuko said with a sense of finality.

Katara stood up so that she could get away from Zuko as fast as she possibly could and left the room.

She could feel that Zuko was behind her even though she couldn't hear him. She walked into her room with Zuko close behind her.

When she turned around she ran into his chest and then backed away as soon as she possibly could.

"Goodnight Katara," Zuko said as he turned to leave the room. Katara smiled and then looked back at him as he began to shut the door.

"Goodnight Zuko," Katara replied. She saw the closing door stop for a moment, and then finally shut entirely. "I think I might love you," she whispered to herself in a voice that was meant for no one but her own self to hear.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer** I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender. I think I could have done a better job ending the series though… Zutara pwns all.

Zuko shut the door to Katara's room as quietly as he could. But before he had shut it entirely he could have sworn that Katara said goodnight back to him.

He smiled. He was so glad they were finally friends. He put his hand on his torso where his scar was. 'That's what you get for caring,' he thought when he felt something he hadn't felt in a very long time.

'She doesn't like me back though,' Zuko thought to himself sadly as he thought about the day when he got his second scar. He knew that he would do it a million times over if she were to survive, but he couldn't help himself from wondering if she would have done the same for him.

"It looks like I'll never know," Zuko said to himself quietly. "Now where's uncle?" he thought out loud.

He walked downstairs and started to look for him. But by the time that he found him he really wished that he hadn't gone looking for him.

Zuko made a noise that was somewhere between a grunt and a gag while violently throwing a hand over his eyes.

Zuko had meant to knock himself out, and he did it successfully. He had managed to knock himself backward so that he would then be unconscious and forget the gruesome scene that he had just looked upon.

'No, no, no,' Zuko said to himself repetitively so that he would no longer have the vision of his uncle and that fortuneteller in the back of the tea shop making out.

As he was trying not to process this, he also smelt something that pulled him back into consciousness. When he saw his uncle's sandal in front of his nose he leapt halfway across the room to get away from the horrid smell.

"Uncle, I need to talk to you. Now," Zuko said powerfully. He walked out of the room while he heard his uncle give a fervent apology to his 'friend.'

When they were in the lobby of the teashop Zuko turned around and then started to grill his uncle. "Why would you do that?" Zuko asked indignantly. He continued, "Do you have any idea how traumatizing it is for a teenager to see his elderly uncle doing something like that with another person?"

"Oh Zuko. You are no longer a teenager. That time is far past you. And it's not that bad after all. You may know what I mean after you are a father and—"

Zuko cut him off before he could go any further. "Uncle, I don't have any immediate plans to start a family," Zuko said seriously.

"Are you sure Prince Zuko? Aunt Wu predicted that I would have little grandnieces and grandnephews within the next few years," Iroh said happily.

"I thought that you said you didn't want to know your future. Besides, that is not going to happen," Zuko said.

"On the contrary Zuko, if you continue with your relationships the way you have been recently you'll be married by the end of next year at the latest. You certainly have already wooed Katara, so—"

Zuko cut him off again. "I have not wooed Katara! She's with Aang in any case, and apart from that, we are just good friends!" Zuko exclaimed angrily.

Iroh rolled his eyes. "That explains why everyone automatically assumes you two are a couple. Come now Zuko, you cannot be this blind! Can you not see that you two are perfect for each other in every way?" Iroh asked remorsefully.

"Uncle, first of all, I sort of already have a girlfriend," Zuko said with an annoyed tone of voice.

His uncle snorted. "Mai? You only dated her because her parents asked you to! Besides, you two are too alike. You both need a little burst of life in you," Iroh said.

Zuko paid little attention to what his uncle said and continued. "Besides, I don't have time for a deep relationship in any case. In fact, I may have to break up with Mai for that very reason! I have to restore the honor of the fire nation who has a terrible reputation because of the war. I can't have any distractions. And Katara—well, she's Katara. She's my friend and nothing more because it would be impossible for us to be anything but friends. It wouldn't work out," Zuko said sadly.

Iroh sighed. "You have given up so much Zuko. Don't make a decision you'll regret," Iroh said, "Now; you must have your fortune told by Aunt Wu. It's only polite you know," Iroh said more cheerfully.

Zuko groaned. "Fine. If you insist. But only this once!" Zuko said, knowing that he wouldn't be able to get out of this one.

"Come Prince Zuko, let's go!" Iroh exclaimed as he grabbed his nephew's sleeve and then yanked him forward.

Zuko reluctantly followed his uncle's lead until his uncle stopped moving and bowed. So as not to upset his uncle, Zuko quickly bowed as well.

"I'm so sorry for the delay Aunt Wu, my nephew just wanted to know if he could get a reading. Isn't that right Zuko?' Iroh asked with an intense look in his eyes.

Zuko tried to shake out the memories that were coming back. While trying not to gag again, he nodded his head in agreement.

"Well that's wonderful Iroh! And what does your nephew want a reading for?" she asked hesitantly.

Zuko opened his mouth to answer when he heard his uncle say, "He wants to know about love."

Zuko threw a glare in his uncle's direction. 'There is no way in the entire world that I am ever going to—' Zuko thought until Aunt Wu grabbed his hand and started to rub it so she could better see the creases in his rough hands.

"You're a powerful bender, yes?" she asked.

Zuko didn't like the way this was going. "I guess so," he answered impassively. He then heard a slight creak coming from the back of the tea shop, so he turned around just in time to see a flash of brown.

"Did you see that?" Zuko asked the fortuneteller.

"See what dear?" she asked curiously. Zuko mentally kicked himself. He must have been really tired. Who would be in the tea shop other than them anyway?

"Never mind..." Zuko said quietly. The fortuneteller continued to look into his palm as she was trying to decipher what his life would be like. He really didn't enjoy doing this…

Zuko sighed, and said, "So, do you see anything?" He wanted this to be done, and he wanted it over soon.

"You are very hard to decipher," Aunt Wu started. Zuko felt someone nudge him, and he immediately changed his facial expression. He hadn't realized that he had been wearing a grimace all this time, so he threw his uncle an apologetic face.

"But not impossible," she continued. "I see that you will be able to restore the world even through the turmoil that will come to pass in your life over the next few years," she was about to continue, but Zuko interrupted.

"What do you mean by turmoil," he asked slowly.

Aunt Wu exhaled slowly. "It seems as though you will face many problems and difficulties in many areas in your life over the next few years," she said. Zuko lowered his head. He couldn't believe this. Hadn't he suffered enough already?

But Aunt Wu wasn't finished. "It won't last forever though. And if you trust in those whom you love, you will get through it. As for your love life, you will marry after these difficult times, and you shall marry the one you love. She will be a bender, and she will be your complete opposite," she finished.

This took Zuko on a turn. There was absolutely no way his future could lay out like this—she must have been wrong. Not wanting to hear anymore, he quickly stood up and bowed, while saying, "Thank you very much Aunt Wu. I would stay, but I believe that I should leave you and uncle…alone." He finished.

He could see that Iroh and Aunt Wu were blushing as he left the room. He walked upstairs and then took a turn to his makeshift room. It was a cupboard—he had given Katara the room that he had stayed in during his time in Ba Sing Se.

He quickly made his bed before he could start thinking again about all the foolish things that he had done in the dreaded city.

He threw off his shirt and got into his 'bed'. He closed his eyes trying to sleep, but when he closed his eyes he saw big blue eyes looking back at him.

He shot up into a sitting position and then said, "Oh Agni, I think I love her."


	14. Chapter 14

A/N—I am SOOOOOO sorry it's taken me like a month to update! I wanted to update sooner, but my English teacher (who I call combustion man because he makes my head spontaneously combust) has been giving me a TON of homework. So, I tried to make this chapter a little longer to make up for it. Also, I hopefully will have more time to write over the holiday, so you can probably expect an update within the next week. Enjoy! :D

**Disclaimer** I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender no matter how much I wish on stars. I am confident that I could have ended it better than certain people though… BOO KATAANG!

Zuko awoke to the calling of the rising sun. That was the one downside of being a fire bender—you always had to rise with the sun whether you liked it or not. Zuko groaned and pulled himself into the lotus position.

He concentrated on steadying his breathing as he began to become enveloped in his thoughts. He was just beginning to contemplate the past few years of his life when his uncle came walking in.

"Good morning Prince Zuko!" Iroh said loudly. Zuko stood up and put a hand over his uncle's mouth.

"You know, just because we get up at sunrise doesn't mean that others do. Especially relatives of Sokka," Zuko muttered quietly.

Iroh gave a hearty laugh. "I suppose you are right nephew. Sokka did have a tendency of sleeping in, didn't he? Is Katara as bad as he is?" Iroh asked Zuko.

Zuko answered without a second thought. "No, Sokka is worse than pretty much everyone. Still, Katara doesn't like being woken up really early in the morning."

Iroh chuckled. "I always forgot that I wasn't living with fire benders when we made camp near Ba Sing Se. They always got upset with my sleeping habits. But they were happy that they had that calming Jasmine tea every morning!"

Zuko sighed. "And I thought that I was the unobservant one that didn't think things through. Let's go downstairs and make some tea uncle," Zuko said.

"That is the best thing you've said all morning Prince Zuko," Iroh said contentedly.

"Come on uncle. Let's go before Katara wakes up," Zuko said. Zuko pushed his uncle out the door.

"Aren't you coming Prince Zuko?" Iroh asked as quietly as his extraneous personality would allow.

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Of course uncle. But I can't easily go downstairs wearing just this," he said while gesturing toward his clothes.

His uncle looked him over and then smiled. "I suppose you're right nephew, but hurry up. I must make some tea for you and your water bender..." Iroh trailed off.

Zuko's could feel his jaw drop and his eyes widen. "She is NOT _my _water bender! And you really need to stop making comments like that uncle. At some point she might hear you!" Zuko said exasperatedly.

"That is sort of the point nephew…" Iroh said knowingly. Zuko could feel his body heat increasing. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

"I'll see you downstairs uncle," Zuko said almost angrily. He slammed the door in his uncle's face so he could get away from the awkward situation.

He could hear his uncle chuckling behind the door, so he said, "I can hear you uncle." Iroh's laughter immediately subsided. "Thank you," Zuko said quietly.

Zuko then collapsed against the wall and let out a small moan. 'What am I going to do with him?' he asked himself.

He reached over to grab his rucksack when he saw something strange in the corner of the room.

'Is that what I think it is?' he asked himself. He crawled over to the corner and picked up the object.

Zuko stared at it for a moment and then turned the corner of his lips slightly upward. He looked down at the familiar blue and white maske which had caused him so much trouble.

"Now where did this come from?" Zuko asked himself quietly. He flipped it over to examine it more closely.

He noticed that the edges were particularly worn, and also that there were some pieces of grass and dried mud on the inside of the mask.

"Coincidental? Or the same mask?" he asked himself. He looked it over once again. Of course, his first mask had been blown up when Zhao tried to kill him, but the last mask that he had gotten was from a merchant in the Earth Kingdom, and it looked eerily similar to the one that was in his hands right now.

Zuko sighed. It was just another question that he had in his life that would remain unanswered. He slipped the mask in his rucksack and then took out some clothes.

He quickly pulled out his Earth Kingdom robes and pulled them over his head. He stood up quickly, wanting to get out of the small room, but he hit his head on the top of the cupboard and then shrunk back down to the floor and stifled a yell.

He rubbed the top of his head and then stepped out of the room _carefully_ this time. He moved quietly towards the steps and then jumped down them in one fluid motion.

He saw his uncle quietly humming to himself while beginning to brew some tea. Zuko inhaled deeply, and then nodded. 'Ginseng tea was always his favorite,' Zuko thought to himself.

He stepped away from the kitchen and walked towards the entrance of the tea shop. He went outside onto the porch and took a huge gulp of fresh air while letting the sun warm his tense muscles.

Zuko stood there concentrating on the sun's energy for what must have been hours. Every once in a while, he could here his uncle bustling about in the kitchen making whatever type of tea his heart desired.

Zuko shut his eyes and again saw the cobalt eyes that he had learned to love over the past couple of months.

Zuko let out a deep breath. 'Oh Agni… Must you ruin every single thing in my life?' Zuko thought to himself sadly.

He slowly maneuvered back into the tea shop and created a small flame in his hand and lit up the lamps that were scattered among the store.

Zuko was about to light the last lamp in the shop when he suddenly saw his uncle standing right in front of him.

Zuko jerked upwards in shock and then immediately got into a fighting stance. After seeing it was his uncle he relaxed his stance and then said, "Uncle, don't snek up on me like that!"

Iroh gave a small chuckle. "You haven't changed in the way you react to things Zuko. I have a question for you. When was the last time you actually practiced your fire bending?" Iroh asked.

Zuko shuddered. He hadn't practiced in a while due to his busy schedule and also his near fatal wound.

Iroh nodded. "That's what I thought. You should go find an open space and practice your fire bending. It will give you a chance to calm down my nephew," Iroh said; his voice full of emotion.

"Okay uncle. No need to get all mushy on me," Zuko said while hoping desperately that his uncle would just leave it at that.

Of course, after Zuko thought that, his uncle did not let the subject go. "My name in Ba Sing Se was originally Mushi you know," Iroh said lamely.

Zuko rolled his eyes. "That is perhaps the worst joke you have ever come up with Uncle," Zuko said mournfully.

Iroh smiled. "Now go and work on that fire bending—if you keep practicing I'm sure you'll be a master in no time," Iroh said while all but kicking Zuko out the door.

Zuko quickly steadied his balance and then went of to find a large and quiet place so that he could practice his fire bending.

_5 hours later…_

Zuko put his hands in front of his stomach and took a harsh laborious breath. He had to go all the way to the middle ring to find an open space where he could practice, but it had been worth it.

Zuko had been practicing for hours, and he'd never felt quite so alive. Of course, his wound restricted him from doing certain fire bending stances, but that didn't stop him from practicing. In fact, his wound was still sore even though he didn't want to admit it.

Zuko picked up his discarded robe and wiped his forehead with it. Zuko's head leaned downward and the scar on his torso caught his eye. 'If only she knew why…' he thought to himself.

He sighed and went over to put on his bandages, but he heard a twig snap almost directly behind him. He swung around and immediately crouched into a fire bending stance.

He saw the person that was sneaking up on him hiding behind a tree. He relaxed a little when he saw who it was.

"Katara?" Zuko asked in disbelief. Katara stepped out from behind the tree, her cheeks a bright red.

"Hey Zuko," she said. "Sorry… I didn't want to interrupt, so I was just waiting for you to… You know what? It doesn't matter. I shouldn't have come to find you, so I'll just leave…" Katara said. She took a step towards the outside of the field where Zuko had been training, but Zuko ran over to her within a matter of seconds.

"It's okay, I was just finishing up anyway. But how did you find me?" Zuko asked. "I didn't actually tell anyone where I was going…"

Katara looked down at her feet, and then up at Zuko. "I swear I didn't follow you. I think that your uncle sent a messenger hawk to follow you or something… Iroh told me to look for you here, so I'm assuming he did something like that…"

Zuko placed his thumb and index finger on the bridge of his nose and pinched hard. 'The ideas the man comes up with,' Zuko thought to himself.

He felt like he needed to say something so he said, "That sounds like uncle. I'm assuming he wants to get us alone together so we can go on our 'date.'"

Katara looked back down at her feet. Zuko quickly tried to find the right words to say. "I'm sorry about him by the way. Sometimes the tea lover needs to set out his priorities, but he's family, and I don't want to let him down again. Anyway… it… well… I don't like… you know it isn't really a date," Zuko started to say, and Katara's head snapped up after he said that.

Zuko realized that he made a mistake by saying that. She must have misunderstood what he meant, so he quickly tried to fix that problem before it could come back to bite him. "I mean, it's not like I wouldn't want to go on a date with you, but we're both sort of in relationships, so… I…" Zuko trailed off into silence and then silently cursed. Why couldn't he have been better with words?

But Katara seemed to understand what he was saying and quickly nodded. "I know what you mean, but I honestly don't think I'm really in a relationship with Aang right now," Katara said.

Zuko gave her a skeptical look and then she began to explain what exactly she meant. "To master the avatar state Aang had to let go of all worldly attachments. Apparently I was one the one attachment he had, and to master the avatar state, he had to let me go. And seeing as he defeated Ozai by using the avatar state, he can't really love me. Not to mention that he thinks he loves me, but I think I'm more of a motherly figure to him," Katara finished.

Zuko looked into her beautiful blue eyes and he almost forgot what he was about to say, but he remembered at the last second. "Well, you must admit that you are sort of motherly," Zuko stated.

Katara's eyes widened and then narrowed into a glare. "However," Zuko continued, "you just wouldn't be the same if you weren't motherly. It's how you express just how much you care about people."

Katara gave him a small smile. "Thanks Zuko. Even though I may not want to admit it, I am motherly. But I don't treat everyone like they're my son or daughter" she said defensively.

"You do for everyone in the gaang…" Zuko said quietly. Katara gave him a light punch in the arm.

"Not you…" she said. Zuko detected some emotion in her voice that he couldn't quite place, so he looked at her face to see if her expression would betray her.

Katara cleared her throat after Zuko had been staring at her for about a minute. Zuko shook his head which rid himself of his previous train of thought.

"Sorry," Zuko said. "I suppose we should start heading to the town and get this over with. It's nothing personal, but my uncle can be a little…quick to judge people's emotions."

Katara nodded. "Sokka's a little like that too. He needs to learn how to keep his thoughts to himself. But I've never known Iroh to be like that…" Katara said.

Zuko gave a curt laugh. "You haven't lived with him after Music Night," he said jokingly.

Katara giggled. "I still want to hear you play the Tsunki Horn you know. I bet if I were to mention it in front of your uncle he would make you play," Katara said.

Zuko rolled his eyes and leaned down to pick up his bandages and shirt. Zuko did his best to put on the bandages himself, but he just couldn't do it all alone. He usually had his uncle or one of the healers help him, and he knew that he didn't want Katara helping him because that would just create an awkward situation.

Unfortunately for Zuko, the moment Katara saw Zuko struggling, she went over to help him. "Hold this on your stomach," she commanded while pointing at the end of the bandage.

Zuko did as he was told, and then allowed Katara to wrap the bandage around his waist. There were goose bumps at every place Katara's fingers brushed his skin, and Katara helping him did in fact make the situation awkward.

After Katara helped Zuko with that, she took a step backwards with a very light blush on her face.

Zuko put on his tunic and felt his cheeks grow warm as well. He then held out his arm in Katara's direction.

Katara smiled and then took his arm. "Since when are you such a gentleman?" she asked.

"Since I've been spending more time with my uncle," Zuko said as they started walking in the general direction of the city's main square.

A/N: And that is where I shall leave you. I promise something exciting is coming up, but I couldn't fit it into this chapter! Merry Christmas! And as a friend of mine says to those who celebrate many holidays, Happy Chrismahanakwanzakah!


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Okay. So, I just got back from PA, and while I was up there I was muddling through a few ideas that I had for this next chapter. There are some things that I would have liked to have done better, but I figured that I needed to get this story moving along, so here we are. Hopefully it won't be too terrible and you guys will like it. This chapter is basically about what is happening to Azula—to build some background knowledge, she's in a mental hospital and Aang took her bending away. And just to let you know, the second section is in the point of view of someone guarding her. SO… Lights… Camera… ACTION!

After the disclaimer: I do not own the ideas for Avatar the Last Airbender in any way shape or form—I am simply using the characters to create an ending to the wonderful series that I would have personally preferred. And I do not care what Bryke says, Kataang and Maiko failed epically.

Azula looked down at the tiny spider fly resting on her finger. She carefully picked it up between her thumb and index finger and examined it carefully. Then she swiftly crushed her slender fingers onto each other, killing the spider fly in the process.

She felt a moment of remorse because the spider fly reminded her of how her own brother betrayed her. But that quickly lead her to think about her utter hatred for her brother.

'I wish he was a normal child. But no, he had to go and ruin everything by caring for people. And then hanging with uncle fatso didn't do him much good either…' her thoughts trailed off into nothingness.

She stared at the four white walls around her and then stared into the mirror straight across from where she was sitting.

A tall, lovely figure was coming into focus. She had dark, long, black hair, and was wearing the red robes of a fire lady.

"Mother?" Azula asked quietly.

"Hello Azula. How are you?" Ursa asked gently.

Azula rolled her eyes. "How do you think I am Mother? After Mai and Ty Lee left, I've been a nervous wreck. It's made me weak like Zuko. Speaking of which, he's ruined my life. He's the reason I'm in here! He needs to pay…" Azula said almost longingly.

Ursa sighed. "Azula, I love you, but you really should stop talking like that. Revenge isn't always the answer, you know. And the only reason your friends abandoned you was becaes you were hurting the people that they cared about. Maybe if you were a little gentler…"

"Mother please. Why are you even here?" Azula asked.

Ursa chuckled. "Why do you think I'm here? I want to help you out," she said.

Azula's eyes brightened just a bit. "You're going to help me get out of here?" she asked hopefully.

Ursa's face fell slightly. "Unfortunately I can't. But I'm warning you Azula, don't do something that you might regret…" Ursa's voice began to fade.

Azula turned around. 'Crazy old woman,' she thought to herself. 'She can't stop me from doing what I want. I'll do this my way…'

"I WON'T BE RESTRAINED! THE AVATAR IS WEAK, HE COULDN'T EVEN KILL FATHER! THEN THERE'S ZUKO WHO CAN'T FINISH ME OFF BY MYSELF—HE HAD TO HAVE THAT WATER PEASANT STEP IN AND DEFEAT ME… BUT NOW I KNOW HIS WEAK SPOT! HE WOULDN'T JUST STEP IN AND SAVE ANYBODY… THAT WATERBENDER WILL SUFFER UNMERCIFULLY AND SO SHALL MY IDIOT OF A BROTHER!"

The guard let out a sigh. "Here we go again," he said while standing up to go to the fire princess's cell.

"You know that shouting won't do you any good. You're in here for life, and I think that you know that," he said to Azula.

"I'll show you what shouting does…" Azula muttered so quietly the guard could barely hear her.

All of a sudden there was a deafening crash against Azula's cell. The guard quickly shifted into a fighting stance, and went to stand in front of the princess's door.

There was a dent on the door that was slowly growing larger and larger as Azula was pounding on the door.

"How?" the guard muttered to himself. The doors were made of steel that had never been penetrated in the history of the asylum. So how was she doing it?

There was a deafening crack as the door flew off its hinges and flew on top of the one prison guard.

Azula took a step forward and came next to the nearly crushed guard. She smiled crookedly. "And to think that Zuzu would actually believe that a mere peasant would restrain me… My dear brother has a lot to learn," she said.

She then brandished her long fingernails and carefully placed them on either side of the guard's head.

"My bending may be gone, but I am still a warrior." And with that she pulled up the guard's head, and smashed it back into the floor.

"Don't play with fire. You'll only get burned," she whispered as she stood up and pulled a cloak over her head. Then, she left to do what she felt needed to be done.

A/N: I'm just going to leave it there for now. I know it's short, but I'm going to (hopefully) post another chapter later today or tomorrow. I felt that this chapter was necessary for what I'm going to do with the rest of the story, so that's why I put it in. Anyway, I hope you guys liked it! Tell me if there's anything that you want to see in the next chapters, and I will do my best to make it happen! Later!


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: This is another chapter that is important to the later plot of the story. The first part is a continuation of what happened in the last chapter (It's in Azula's POV), the second part is basically about what's happening with Zuko and Katara (Katara's POV), and the third part is more of Zuko's POV. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender. If anyone says otherwise, tell them that they're lying! I OWN NOTHING!

Azula looked off the main balcony in the fire lord's palace. "Pathetic," she muttered to herself.

What she saw was the absolute ruin that she and her brother had caused over the city. And she thought that Zuko was no threat…

'Well he wouldn't have been if it wasn't for that water bending peasant. He would be dead if she wasn't there! So, it's now time to get back at Zuzu and his precious little girlfriend,' the more devious side of her said.

There was, however, part of her that didn't want to do the unfathomable task. But, this side of her was quickly squashed by her utter hatred toward the water bender.

She turned around to face the palace. She stepped forward, and continued to walk through the empty hallways of the palace until she came to a room reserved for the fire lord.

She inhaled, and then pushed the door open quietly, just in case someone was actually in there.

When she saw the interior, her mouth fell open in shock. She had been in there only once before, but it was so different now that there was a new owner to the room.

The room had previously been coated in the fine, regal red that symbolized the Fire Nation's glory. There were also beautiful golden drapes hanging from the windows on either side of the room. Apart from the furniture that pretty much everyone would ever need, there was a bed in the center of the room that would have been bigger than at least five of the southern water tribe igloos put together. The sheets matched the walls and were a deep crimson color.

Azula noted that the bed was still in the same place that it always was, but sheets were now a light blue—the main color of the water tribes. The rest of the room had also changed.

There were colors from all four nations around the room, and all the furniture seemed to have been replaced by furniture from either the earth kingdom or the water tribes. The colors surprisingly blended together nicely, so it actually looked quite regal.

Azula smirked when she saw that there was a bit more blue and red then any other color. She knew then that her hunch was correct.

"So Zuzu did have a little crush on the water tribe peasant. It's a real shame that I won't allow him to be happy. He must suffer before anything good will happen to him. And by that time, if all goes well, he will be dead," Azula said in a sickly sweet voice.

"Now where is it?" she asked herself quietly as her eyes scanned the room. She saw a subtle gleam on a small dresser, and went over to pick up Zuko's dagger that was given to him by their uncle.

She smiled as she brandished the deadly weapon in her hands. Her previous doubts were now completely gone. She was going to do it, and she was going to do it right.

"Now to find Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe," Azula said, a grin slowly creeping up her face.

About a day after Azula escaped…

Katara looked across the Pai Sho table at Zuko. He was grinning from ear to ear.

She shushed him. "I'm trying to find a way to beat you, so just be quiet!" Katara said in a tone of defiance as she glanced back down at the Pai Sho board.

"I didn't say anything," Zuko said. Katara looked back up at Zuko and when she saw him still smiling, she sent a kick his way underneath the table.

Katara smiled when she saw Zuko wince slightly. Of course, it wouldn't have been noticeable to anyone else, but Katara had really gotten to know Zuko really well over the past few months, and she could identify his facial expressions from a mile away.

"You deserved it you know," she said quietly.

"I did not! It isn't my fault you're a poop sport!" Katara kicked him again. This time, he shot her a glare that would have made Ozai scared.

"You're over reacting. Now let me just move this here…" Katara said as she slid her tile across the Pai show board.

Zuko smirked and moved his tile. Katara looked down and slapped her head as Zuko took the part.

"Don't feel bad. You haven't been playing my uncle for the last 10 years," Zuko said happily.

Katara aimed another kick at his leg. Zuko rolled his eyes. "Would you please stop doing that? I'd like to have both of my legs when I go back to the fire nation," Zuko said.

Katara's smile widened as she sent another kick at Zuko's leg. Zuko sighed, and then stood up.

"I'm going to get us some more tea," he said to Katara gently. Katara looked up at him and continued to smile.

"Hurry back," she said so quietly it was barely audible. Zuko paused, but then continued to go toward the kitchen.

Katara sighed heavily. 'Why aren't the others here yet? They were supposed to be here a couple of days ago… Maybe I should send a messenger hawk just to see if they're all right…' Katara thought worriedly.

Just as she was thinking that, a messenger hawk flew through the window. She looked at the bird and took out the letter.

"Thanks little guy," she said softly. She patted him on the head and gave him a corn kernel that was lying on the table.

The hawk nudged her hand lightly. She looked back down at the letter in her hands. On the front, Zuko's name was written on the front. Underneath it, there was a word scrawled hastily. 'Urgent'.

Katara looked behind her shoulder at Zuko. He walked into the lobby of the tea shop and sat back down next to Katara.

"Hey, what's this messenger hawk doing here?" he asked Katara. The hawk squawked and then pecked Zuko's hand.

"Ouch," Zuko muttered. Katara slid the note across the table. Zuko picked it up and his eyes widened.

"This is a letter to you. It came a couple of minutes ago with this little guy," Katara said happily.

Zuko nodded and then opened the letter. As his eyes scanned the page, his face fell into a deep frown.

Katara put her hand on Zuko's shoulder for a moment, but removed it after she felt his body tense. Even the smallest touches between the two of them sent a current of electricity through Katara (and possibly Zuko's) veins.

Katara sighed inwardly. She wished that their relationship wasn't so complicated. All of a sudden Zuko slammed his fist on the table.

"What's the matter Zuko?" Katara asked gently.

He let out a deep breath. "It appears that I have to go see the Earth King immediately. And he doesn't have good news. He said that after I go to see him I should head straight back to the fire nation. I would hate to leave you here with uncle… Partially for his sake, and partially for yours. I love him, but you know better than anyone how he can get," he smiled apologetically.

Katara sighed. "Well let me come with you then! I know that I can help you!" Katara said boldly.

"I'm not so sure that that would be the best idea in the world. If it's this urgent, then maybe you shouldn't come…" Zuko said.

"Please Zuko?" she asked longingly. Zuko put his head in his hands.

"Katara, I really don't think it's a good idea…" Zuko trailed off. Katara put on the saddest face you can muster and sighed.

"You are stubborn, aren't you?" Zuko asked while looking through the hair that was covering his eyes.

Katara smiled. "I'll tell you what. You can come to the earth King's palace with me, and then if the information isn't too bad, then you can come back to the fire nation. OK?" Zuko asked.

Katara walked around the table and threw her arms around a very surprised fire lord. "Thank you Zuko!" she said happily.

He tried to pry her off of him, but she refused to let go. He finally collapsed in defeat. She could hear him mutter something about, "love…stubborn…benders…not…"

"What was that Zuko?" she asked quietly as she released him from her death grip. Zuko rubbed his hand on the back of his neck.

"I was just saying how I needed to tell my uncle where we were going. Excuse me for a moment," Zuko said while walking to the back of the tea shop.

Zuko and Katara slid off Appa. The earth king was waiting outside the palace for them. His face was extremely grave.

Still, he gave a weary smile to the two benders as they approached. Zuko cleared his throat and then began to introduce himself.

"I'm Fire Lord Zuko, and this is Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. You wanted to see me?" Zuko asked the Earth King rather forcefully.

This seemed to make the Earth King rather uncomfortable. He scratched his neck and then spoke. "Well, you see… I need to talk to you. Preferably alone," he said while throwing an apologetic glance at Katara.

Katara looked up at Zuko and took his hand in hers. Zuko squeezed her hand and then nodded.

"Just wait here for a while, OK?" he said to Katara. Katara nodded and then gave him a light push towards the door.

"Go on Zuko, I'll be here," she said.

He walked forward but couldn't help looking back at Katara. She gave him an encouraging smile and he turned to face the Earth King's palace.

They walked into a meeting room in the palace silently. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Zuko asked the Earth King.

The Earth King sighed. "Always straight to the point. I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, but I was the closest delegate to where you were. So, I'm the one that has to tell you that your sister escaped from the asylum that she was staying at," he finished.

Zuko let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "That's it? She can't do anyone much harm, can she? I mean, Aan—I mean the Avatar took away her bending right?" Zuko asked the King.

"He did, but there's another part to it that is a little more… erm… frightening," The Earth King said.

Zuko gave him a look that told him to go on, so he continued. "Shortly after she escaped, there was an assassination attempt on one of the water tribe delegates," he continued.

Zuko shook his head slowly. 'She wouldn't,' he thought to himself.

"It was Katara's father. He's alive right now, but just barely. He lost a lot of blood. And this knife," he gestured toward Zuko's own dagger that he had acquired so many years ago, "was found in the chief's back where he was stabbed. All of the delegates have been thinking that Azula might have been behind the attack. We wanted to know what you thought," the Earth King said quietly.

Zuko shook his head again. "A couple of months ago I wouldn't have put it underneath her to do something like that. There is no doubt in my mind that it was her, and she went into my quarters to get that knife. Is it really the best idea to go back to the fire nation though? And does Katara know yet?" Zuko asked the king.

"Well, we were actually thinking that you could tell her what happened. You know her better than I do," the king said quietly.

"And you think I want to tell her?" Zuko nearly shouted. "I'm sorry, but I care about Katara very much, and I don't want to see her hurt," Zuko said more quietly.

"Well, we really need you in the fire nation. There's no other way that we'll be able to track down your sister without you. Tell Katara about the incident and then go to the fire nation. Please don't take this personally, but you have to fulfill your duties. I will see you later. Now I have some other matters to attend to. We are trying to keep this as quiet as possible so that the people don't rebel. Thank you for your time."

And with that, the Earth King left, leaving Zuko in a state of shock, completely unable to move.

A/N: So, what did you think? Sorry, that last part was a little choppy, but I said I was going to post today, and I ALWAYS keep my promises. Thank you for all of your reviews, they are appreciated. Sorry there wasn't a lot of fluff, but don't worry, there WILL be some coming SOON! Happy New Year everybody!


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Sorry I haven't written in FOREVER, but I have been SO busy with schoolwork. My English teacher is KILLING ME. LITERALLY. On top of that, I've had writer's block, and this chapter was somewhat difficult to write. So, I'm hoping that you guys will like it. Again, there isn't as much fluff as I would like, but I will put some in as soon as I do a couple more things to this story. In case you can't tell, this is probably around two hours after the previous chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Does it look like I own Avatar the Last Airbender? If I did, the finale would have turned out differently. VERY DIFFERENTLY. Now on with the story!

Katara looked over her shoulder. 'Is it just me, or has Zuko been gone for a really long time?' she asked herself.

She had sat herself down on a bench a few minutes after Zuko had went to talk with the Earth King, but it was beginning to get a dark out and Zuko still wasn't back yet.

She looked back down at her hands which were shaking ever so slightly. She shook her head slightly.

She shouldn't be worried. 'Everything probably went fine,' she told herself. However, she couldn't quite shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

There was the sound of a door closing in the distance and Katara let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I was starting to think he wasn't coming back to me!" she said to herself. 

As she was walking, she realized that the person that came out of the palace wasn't Zuko. Much to her surprise, it was the Earth King.

'Where are you Zuko?' she thought to herself. She continued to walk towards King Kuei, who she could now see from where she was standing.

As Katara became closer and closer to the King, she notices that he seemed rather worn down and tired.

The King didn't appear to notice Katara coming toward him until they were only a few yards away from each other.

When he did notice her, he gave her a hesitant smile, and Katara smiled warmly back at him. "Katara," the Earth King said in order to greet her.

"It's good to see you again, King Kuei," Katara said warmly.

"It's nice to see you too," the King said. "But I have to ask you why you're still out here. Not that I mind, but I would have thought that you and the Fire Lord would have gone back to General Iroh's tea shop by now," the king said questioningly.

Katara gave the king a funny look that implied she had almost no idea what she was talking about.

The king returned the look promptly. "Did he not come out? We finished over an hour ago..." he trailed off.

Katara felt her face fall into another look of confusion. "No, he didn't come out. I was starting to get worried, but apparently there was nothing to worry about," Katara said.

The Earth King began to rub his hands together nervously. "Yeah... Nothing to worry about," the king whispered.

Katara reached out and put a hand on the King's arm. "Are you okay Kuei? You seem a little stressed," Katara said.

She smiled at the king, and the King's face suddenly turned sorrowful. Kuei put one of his hands over his face. "You're a sweet girl Katara," Kuei said almost nostalgically.

Katara's eyes widened. This type of behavior was very odd for Kuei. He was usually happier and more lively, but today he just seemed anxious.

The king opened his mouth as if to say more, but hen closed it quickly. He gave Katara a pat on he shoulder, and then appeared to change his mind about speaking again.

"I have to go now, but I wish you the best of luck until the next time I see you. Zuko and I met in the first conference room on your left when you first walk in. He might still be there. Have a nice day Katara," Kuei finished.

He bowed slightly before the water bending master before heading off to somewhere within Ba Sing Se.

Katara stood there dumbfounded. 'That was rather odd...' she thought to herself as she began to head where the Earth King had instructed.

She approached the doors and took in a nice, long breath before pushing them open.

She wandered down the hall for a minute or two before she came across the first conference room on the left wall of the corridor.

She knocked on the door three times. There was no answer. She knocked again, louder this time. Still no answer. She rolled her eyes and pushed the door open.

There, sitting in a chair, looking at the wall opposite him, was Zuko.

Katara felt a rush of emotions come to her all at once. First there was joy, then relief, then anger, then sadness.

Katara finally settled on exasperation before talking to him. "Would you like to explain yourself Zuko?" she asked him.

Zuko's eyes shifted toward her for a brief moment, and then turned back to the wall where they had been before.

"So you're just going to ignore me now? I waited for more than an hour out there waiting for you. I was worried sick! What if something had happened? I can't bear to lose anyone else because of this war! I know it's over, but there are consequences because of it, right?" she took a deep breath and calmed down a bit.  
"You're my best friend Zuko. Please talk to me," Katara finished. She looked at Zuko again. He was still looking at the wall.

Katara sighed. "At least tell me what the meeting was about," Katara said.

This, at least, caused Zuko to flinch. 'Now we're getting somewhere,' Katara thought to herself.

"Was it really that bad?" Katara asked Zuko. Zuko shook his head back and forth. It seemed as though he was struggling for words.

Katara waited patiently for him to answer, and although it took a while, he did answer.

"Yes Katara. It was that bad," he looked up at her with a deep pain etched in his golden eyes.

"And it's entirely my fault," he uttered just beneath a whisper.

Katara rolled her eyes. "Zuko, whatever this is wasn't your fault. Nothing has ever really been your fault, for that matter..." Katara trailed off.

"Well this time it was my fault. When I first took on the duties of fire lord, I should have made the prisons more secure. Azula escaped," Zuko said slowly.

Katara let out a small giggle, and Zuko shot her a patronizing look. "What's the worst she can do Zuko? Aang took her bending away! You saw it happen! It's not like she would go around killing people just because...of..." Katara trailed off again when she saw Zuko's face.

She had never seen anyone's face look so grave. "Katara," Zuko started, "I don't want to be the one to tell you this, but you need to know. Shortly after Azula escaped, there was an assasination attempt on one of the delegates," Zuko continued.

Katara gasped. She couldn't believe that there was so much trouble already now that he war ended. "Was it someone we know Zuko?" Katara asked in a shaking voice.

Zuko looked into her eyes again. "Yes Katara. We believe that it was Azula who attempted to assassinate the water tribe chief," Zuko paused to take in Katara's reaction. "Azula tried to murder your father," he said even more quietly.

Katara felt her knees begin to shake uncontrollably. She felt her body hit the floor as her vision became hazy. Then, everything went black as she drifted to unconsciousness.


	18. Chapter 18

**So. Hi. It has been a very long time since I've written. You may be able to tell since I can't remember a good portion of what's happened in this story. So, we'll see how this goes. Why the sudden update? To prevent the growth of fungi. *wink wink* I will reread my story later and fix it up a bit, but for now, imma just write like the wind. I should be studying for a geometry test tomorrow, but I think I can handle one hour less of studying. So, without further ado, I present to you the next chapter in The Rising of a New Sun. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it. Wish I did. Moving on. **

Katara's eyes fluttered open. She was in a bright, red room. The ceiling was at least six feet above her head, and it was curved at the very center.

There was a sunny beam of light coming in through the windows that were as tall as the ceiling. There were also billowy curtains floating in the gentle breeze. She turned her head to the side and noticed where she was laying.

Katara happened to be situated on a startlingly large bed covered in silk, baby blue sheets. 'Huh…' she thought to herself. It was more than a little strange that the color scheme was so suited to her own tastes—she had always loved blue, but being in the Fire Nation for so long on her travels with Aang, Toph, Sokka, Suki, and Zuko had really made her love the color red.

Speaking of Zuko, where was he? Where was _she_? She slowly sat up and looked around the room again. She now noticed that there was a beach right behind the building she was in.

"Where am I?" she wondered aloud.

Something in the corner of the room stirred. Katara already had taken water out of a vase on a bedside table next to the bed and froze the figure to the chair.

The figure's head shot up. It was Zuko. "KATARA! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" he shouted angrily.

Katara breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness it _was_ Zuko. Still, she retorted. "How was I supposed to know it was you? These past few months, I've been living in nothing but war zones—I acted purely out of instinct!" she said defensively.

Zuko groaned. "Who else could it possibly have been, Katara?" he asked, exasperated.

Katara was on her feet, angry. "Zuko, how am I supposed to know?" She thought back to the events that had happened before she had blacked out. "My father may be dead by now, and there may be an assassin after me. What was the deal with that, anyway? How long have I been out? What happened while I was out? Where am I? Who tried to kill my dad? Are they after you? Was it all a big mist—" She was suddenly cut off by a hand.

"Katara," Zuko said quietly. "Will you ever learn that if you're going to ask a question, you should at least wait for an answer before you move on to your next question? Now take a deep breath." Katara reluctantly obeyed as she cast him a glare. "Good. Now ask your first question again, please."

Katara inhaled again. "What happened to my father? Is he—" Zuko wagged his finger at her.

"One question at a time. Now, we know that it was Azula attempted to murder your father. I think you should know that her weapon was a knife, and for now your father is okay. He's in a pretty bad condition, but he's okay. We have the best healers in the Fire Nation working on making him get better. He's on a coma, but if he continues making progress like he has been recently, then he should be better by the end of the month. Next question," Zuko finished.

Katara thought for a moment. "Where are we?" she finally decided to ask.

Zuko sighed. It seemed as though he had been dreading this question for some odd reason. "We are on Whale Tail Island," he said quietly. Katara's jaw dropped. She was about to ask a string of follow-up questions, but Zuko held up a hand. "We don't know who Azula is after now, if she is after anyone. My council members and I decided it would be best if we were to come here in the case that Azula did come after us. For now, we have been told to stay here by the Water Tribes, Fire Nation, and Earth Kingdom. My guess is that if Azula is looking for us, she'll find us. So it's pointless to go looking for action where we can't find any. But on the other hand, we don't know what Azula is actually after. It could be anything," he spoke with a sense of finality.

"You sure do have an interesting family," Katara said slowly.

Zuko let out a cold chuckle. "I do." He lifted Katara's face up a little higher so she could see his face better. She suddenly realized how close they were, and she felt her cheeks turn a shade of pink darker. "Katara. I am so sorry. I feel as though I brought this on you and your family. I can't explain it, but I really do feel as though this entire thing is my fault. I promise that I'll do anything to make it up to you." His eyes had begun to water a little bit, and his pupils were a searing shade of gold.

Katara shook her head. "It's not your fault, Zuko. You couldn't have known that any of this would have ever happened…." She trailed off.

"But that doesn't change the way I feel, Katara. For some reason, I think that I probably could have prevented this whole thing from happening."

He moved over to the chair he had been sitting in originally and placed his head in his hands. Katara walked over to him and knelt down. "Hey…" she whispered. "It'll be okay. It's not your fault, and I don't blame you, and I'm sure no one else does either. Your sister is just evil, and that probably won't change. Don't blame yourself for her evil nature, okay? Promise me, Zuko," she said softly.

He took his head out of his hands. "I can't do that. It is my fault," he said with a twinge of sadness in his voice.

"How?" Katara asked, wanting to understand.

Zuko's lips twisted upward in a crooked smile. "I can't explain it. Just trust me. I blame myself, and that won't change anytime soon. So just forget about it. I am sorry, though. Don't forget that," Zuko trailed off, his eyes glazing over.

Being with Zuko, she felt a wave of calm wash over her. She didn't know what it was about him, but she felt completely safe despite everything that had happened recently.

She gave him a small smile. "So…" she began. Zuko cast her a look of curiosity. "What?" she replied to his gaze. "I've been asleep for how long, now? I think it's about time I had something to eat. Do we have to catch it ourselves, or is there some somewhere in this spirit forsaken place?" she said jokingly.

Her attempt at humor worked. Zuko chuckled. "Come on, you peasant. It's time you learned how us royals eat."

**AN: Well, whatcha think? Short, I know. But it's all I could pump out while I am dying from too much school. :P Leave me ideas for what to do next! Cause I still don't know where I'm going with this….. Thanks for reading! **


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